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Police Attend Pre-Poll Station Following Verbal Exchange Between Liverpool Councillor and Candidate

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Police Called to Pre-Poll Station After Candidate Altercation

Police were called to a pre-poll voting station in Liverpool, New South Wales, on Thursday, April 16, 2026, following a verbal altercation between a local councillor and a candidate. The incident occurred days before a council byelection and followed a separate event where the mayor shared a document containing private addresses.

Incident at Casula Community Centre

On the afternoon of Thursday, April 16, 2026, New South Wales Police attended the Casula Community Centre, which was operating as a pre-poll station for the Liverpool City Council south ward byelection.

  • Police were contacted by an electoral worker present at the station.
  • A NSW Police spokesperson stated officers attended regarding a civil matter and left without taking further action.

The incident involved Liverpool City Council Liberal councillor Richard Ammoun and independent byelection candidate Jamal Daoud.

Accounts of the Exchange

The individuals involved provided differing accounts of the verbal exchange.

Jamal Daoud stated:

  • Richard Ammoun called him a liar for making allegations of corruption at Liverpool City Council.
  • A Liberal supporter said in Arabic, "your father is a son of a bitch."
  • He responded by telling Ammoun to "shut your mouth" or similar words.
  • Daoud noted he was offended by the comment about his father, who is deceased.
  • Following the incident, Daoud began wearing a body camera for the final days of the campaign.

Richard Ammoun stated:

  • Daoud was making statements to constituents that Ammoun believed were untrue, and Ammoun attempted to correct him.
  • Daoud began calling him names in another language.
  • Ammoun stated he remained calm during the incident.

Background: Liverpool Council South Ward Byelection

The altercation occurred during the campaign for a Liverpool City Council south ward byelection.

  • The byelection was triggered by the resignation of deputy mayor Betty Green in January 2026.
  • Approximately 82,000 residents are eligible to vote.
  • The election was scheduled for Saturday, April 18, 2026.

Related Incident: Address Disclosure in Social Media Video

The day before the pre-poll station incident, on Wednesday night, Liverpool City Council Liberal Mayor Ned Mannoun posted a video to Facebook.

  • The video, approximately 3 minutes and 50 seconds long, featured Mayor Mannoun discussing political rivals.
  • For approximately three seconds, the video displayed an unredacted election donation disclosure form.
  • The form showed the home addresses of Liverpool state Labor MP Charishma Kaliyanda and former deputy mayor Betty Green.
Reaction to Address Disclosure

Charishma Kaliyanda described the publication of her address as "doxxing." She stated she was seeking advice about her options, asking, "Does this mean that I need to move house? What does this mean in terms of safety and security measures that I need to put in place for myself and my family?"

  • Ned Mannoun removed the original video on Thursday morning and re-uploaded a version with the address information blurred.
  • Mannoun stated, "I'm sorry that a publicly available document was published." He said the individuals were not mentioned in the video, the on-screen clipping was barely legible, and the addresses were from a publicly available document. He did not apologize for sharing the data.
  • Mayor Mannoun indicated he plans to publish more social media content related to the situation.